Allochthonous dissolved organic matter sources: effect of photodegradation on leaf leachates of invasive and native species from an Andean Patagonia catchment

SOTO CÁRDENAS, CAROLINA; GARCIA, R. DANIEL; GARCIA, PATRICIA E.

HYDROBIOLOGIA

SPRINGER

Año: 2024

0018-8158

The vegetation surrounding aquatic ecosystems contributes allochthonous sources of organicmatter to the water bodies. In Andean-Patagoniancatchments, several non-native species grow amongnative ones. Different sources of dissolved organicmatter (DOM) may vary in their contribution, potentially affecting aquatic functioning. This study evaluates differences in DOM contributions from native and non-native plants, analyzing DOM reactivity through its optical properties. An outdoor experiment was conducted with DOM leaf leachates from two native (Maytenus boaria and Nothofagus dombeyi) and two invasive trees (Salix fragilis and Pinus contorta). We characterized DOM concentration and quality optically by UV–Visible and fluorescence spectroscopy and found differences in both quantity and quality between the different leaf leachates. The exotic S. fragilis presented up to 7 times higher dissolved organic carbon (DOC) values than the other species.